The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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R U N N I N G B A C K S THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 53 "He's obviously a leader of this football team and definitely the alpha male leader in our room," Alford said. "It's been really good to work with him thus far. "He's a dynamic player. There are still some things we need to work on. And he will tell you that as well. He needs to con- tinue to progress and become the complete player that he and we desire for him to be. There's still some work to be done. "He's bigger than I thought he'd be, he's a highly, highly competitive kid, and he has the ability to make plays." Whether he can make them on a series- to-series basis remains to be seen, in some minds. But Michigan football radio play- by-play man Doug Karsch pointed out that Edwards isn't all that far off from raising his overall game, not to mention the frequency of the lightning strikes. "Donovan was always one step away," Karsch said. "If they can figure out why he was one step away — we're talking about shoelace tackles that kept a 3-yard gain from being an 8-yard gain, or kept that 6-yard gain from being a 25-yard gain. "And then bam, it happens in the na- tional title game. They've got a lot of time to reflect on the reason why, but I thought he had that spring back in his step in the spring game." Karsch also gives Edwards considerable credit for how he handled the constant questioning last season. Whether the 2022 Ohio State contest built expectations be- yond reasonable means is debatable. What isn't up for debate involves Edwards' team- oriented response when put on the spot. "There's a lot of time to sort out and cor- rect any issues he had," Karsch said. "But I will never forget that kid's attitude, which was totally dictated by Michigan win- ning. He was the least concerned with his personal stats that I've ever seen out of a player, when meeting with the media, and he kept being asked about it. "Whether it was different behind closed doors, I don't know. But he sold it. All he cared about was team success and how happy he was for his brothers. I'm always going to be a Donovan Edwards fan." Michigan watchers are also warming up to grad running back Kalel Mullings, who showed between-the-tackles tough- ness and some maneuverability last season while rushing for 222 yards and 1 touch- down. Mullings actually led all Michigan running backs with a 6.2 yards-per-carry average in 2023. He also caught 2 passes for 32 yards, highlighted by a 19-yard catch in the Rose Bowl victory over Alabama. Mullings certainly looks like Michigan's No. 2 back at this point. He's also said he'd embrace the "thunder" role in any possible thunder-and-lightning combina- tion with Edwards. "He's a dynamic player," Alford said of Mullings. "The guy's got an opportunity to make a lot of plays. He's a smart, smart player, who is still learning the running back STARTER ★★★ ★★★ ½ Senior Donovan Edwards isn't any run-of-the-mill back. You don't go into Columbus and hang 200-plus yards on the Buckeyes and qualify as pedestrian. Edwards has the speed and breakaway ability to potentially take any carry all the way. It didn't happen often enough in 2023, to the point that what Edwards wasn't doing became more of a topic of conversation than what he was doing. The gregarious rusher kept his good humor with all, staying on task and saving his best for the national championship game, when a pair of 40-plus-yard touchdown runs put Washington in a hole from which it would never dig out. Whether it's about a better read here or a slightly different cut there, Edwards' 2024 suc- cess might be judged on how well he's able to hit more home runs, or at least doubles and triples. Certainly, a new offensive line will have some- thing to say about that, as well as Michigan's offensive creativity in giving Edwards room to operate. When he's in the open, Edwards brings U-M fans out of their seats the way a breakaway Denard Robinson or Tyrone Wheatley did. Now it's a matter of making it happen more often. DEPTH ★★★ ★★★ Grad rusher Kalel Mullings shows strength, burst and some shiftiness at times, and he'll get his best opportunities to date in being a bigger part of the Michigan offense. It wasn't easy to carve out space behind Blake Corum and Ed- wards, but the chance is there now. True freshman Jordan Marshall could get a chance to show why he took home Ohio Mr. Football honors as a senior at Cincinnati Arch- bishop Moeller. Meanwhile, senior Tavierre Dun- lap and sophomores Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana have yet to break through at this level. If they do, the postseason grade in this area will obviously go up. OVERALL ★★★ ★★★ This crew certainly depends on the offensive line, making projections more difficult until you see how much and how soon for the men up front. Assuming a reasonable development there, the Wolverines' backs still have plenty to prove, above and beyond Edwards' ability to go the distance. Mullings will be a key performer, called on to get the tough yards, as well as provide consistent carries when the lines aren't stacked. Both he and Edwards have the ability to catch the football, and that could become a further factor in their overall success. Regardless, Michigan needs one of the sophomores or Marshall to bust out, providing a boost for the current season and demonstrating the cupboard will remain stocked for the foreseeable future. PRESEASON ANALYSIS Year-By-Year Rushing Leaders Year Player Carries Yards TD 2023 Blake Corum 258 1,245 27 2022 Blake Corum 247 1,463 18 2021 Hassan Haskins 270 1,327 20 2020* Hassan Haskins 61 375 6 2019 Zach Charbonnet 149 726 11 2018 Karan Higdon 224 1,178 10 2017 Karan Higdon 164 994 11 2016 De'Veon Smith 181 846 10 2015 De'Veon Smith 180 753 6 2014 De'Veon Smith 108 519 6 *Only played six games due to COVID-19 pandemic Despite being the third-string back a year ago, Kalel Mullings led the team with an average of 6.2 yards per carry while rushing 36 times for 222 yards and 1 TD. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL